Audiobooks are perfect for kids who struggle with reading. With the right narrator or cast of voice actors, the characters from the books can come alive in your kids’ imagination. And as a bonus, listening to audiobooks helps improve critical listening skills, focus, and attention spans. They can also be lifesavers on long road trips or plane rides when kids need to be entertained for several hours. With the rise of audiobook services such as Audible from Amazon, it’s easier than ever to find audiobooks that your children will enjoy.
We reviewed dozens of audiobooks for kids to identify the best of the best. We took into account the book’s story, the voice actors or narrators, the length, and Amazon reviews to pick our top choices. All of these audiobooks can be purchased online at Amazon.
Our top choice for the best audiobook for kids overall is Jim Dale’s narration of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. With his incredible talent, Dale brings every character to life and makes listening to the first book of the series entertaining and delightful for both kids and adults.
The 5 Top-Rated Audiobooks For Kids
| Editor's Picks | Brand | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Best Audiobook For Kids Overall | Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone | 4.8 |
| Best Nonfiction Audiobook For Kids | Hidden Figures Young Reader's Edition | 4.6 |
| Best Fantasy Audiobook For Kids | The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger's Apprentice, Book 1 | 4.8 |
| Best Audiobook For Young Kids | Winnie-the-Pooh: Pooh Classics Volume 1 | 4.6 |
| Best Classic Audiobook For Kids | Charlotte's Web | 4.8 |
*Ratings are from Amazon at the time of publication and can change.
Best Audiobook For Kids Overall: Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone
If you’re still unfamiliar at this point, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the first in J.K. Rowling’s critically acclaimed Harry Potter book series. Consistently on best-selling lists for children’s literature, the story of the boy wizard is brought to life as an audiobook in this unabridged version. Listen as Harry finds out he is a wizard and leaves the muggle world to be taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This audiobook is narrated by Jim Dale, who has received seven Grammy nominations as a narrator. He not only performs the rest of the Harry potter book series, but also narrates the Harry Potter computer game and multiple bonus features on the DVD releases. Even if your kids have read the books or seen the movies, Dale’s voices of all the characters make the audio version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone a new and enchanting experience. And the longer length of this audiobook is perfect for long car or plane rides.
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone Key Features:
- Narrated by Jim Dale
- Run time of 8 hours and 18 minutes
- Part of a 7 book series
Best Nonfiction Audiobook For Kids: Hidden Figures Young Reader’s Edition
For kids who enjoy learning about history, math, or science, Hidden Figures Young Reader’s Edition tells the true story of four African American female mathematicians who worked at the Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia, and helped launch both rockets and astronauts into space. Before computers, these brilliant women used pencils and paper, slide rules, and basic adding machines to calculate the complex equations for NASA’s space program.
This story follows the lives of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden. The young reader’s edition simplifies some the complex aeronautical technical information for a younger audience but covers the racial discrimination and social injustices these women faced and their amazing contributions to the space program. The book is narrated by Bahni Turpin, and reviewers say their kids enjoyed story, especially kids who are interested in math and science.
Hidden Figures Young Reader’s Edition Key Features:
- Narrated by Bahni Turpin
- Run time of 4 hours and 11 minutes
- Features the contributions of four amazing African American women to the space program
Best Fantasy Audiobook For Kids: The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 1
The Ruins of Gorlan follows 15-year-old Will, an orphan who is about to learn where he will be apprenticed. When he is assigned to the Rangers, a mysterious group of woodsmen who the villagers believe to practice magic, he’s not sure what to make of it. But he quickly learns that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom and are highly skilled in stealth, archery, and surveillance, which they use to keep the realm safe. And with the evil Morgarath gathering his forces for an attack, Will and his teacher, Halt, will have to draw on all their training and skills to help their kingdom survive.
The Ruins of Gorlan is the first book in the Ranger Apprentice series, a bestselling children’s medieval fantasy series by author John Flanagan. While some fantasy books aimed at kids or young adults can quickly get dark or scary, the Ranger’s Apprentice series stays wholesome and focuses more on character relationships and adolescent problems like fitting in, dealing with bullies, and finding one’s place in the world – which just happens to include castles and sword fighting.
Narrated by John Keating, his lilting accent perfectly lends itself to the medieval fantasy world that these stories are set in. Reviewers say that their kids enjoy the entire series of books, and many adults do as well.
The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger’s Apprentice, Book 1 Key Features:
- Narrated by John Keating
- Run time 8 hours and 12 minutes
- First in a series of 12 books with additional prequels and spinoffs
Best Audiobook For Young Kids: Winnie-the-Pooh: Pooh Classics Volume 1
The perfect audiobook for younger children, Winnie-the-Pooh: Pooh Classics Volume 1 is a collection of ten stories from A.A. Milne’s Pooh Classics, performed by Peter Dennis. This collection of stories has all your kids’ favorite characters like Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, Eeyore, and Christopher Robin, and includes stories such as “In Which We Are Introduced to Winnie-the-Pooh and Some Bees, and the Stories Begin”, “In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One”, and “In Which Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest, and Piglet Has a Bath” among other chapters.
The stories are simple enough to appeal to a very young audience, yet many adults still find themselves enjoying listening to these classic tales. This collection, narrated and performed by Peter Dennis is the only reading authorized by A.A. Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, and is loved by both the reviewers and their children.
Winnie-the-Pooh: Pooh Classics Volume 1 Key Features:
- Narrated by Peter Dennis
- Run time is 2 hours and 46 minutes
- A collection of 10 Winnie-the-Pooh stories
Best Classic Audiobook For Kids: Charlotte’s Web
Charlotte’s Web is a beloved children’s novel by E.B. White that tells the story of a pig named Wilbur, the runt of the litter who is saved by a little girl named Fern. When Wilbur is sold to Fern’s uncle he moves to the Zuckerman’s farm and struggles to make acquaintances with the other animals, until a spider named Charlotte befriends him. When the two animals realize Wilbur is being raised to become dinner, Charlotte devises a plan to make Wilbur famous and save his life.
Consistently in lists for top children’s books, Charlotte’s Web is a favorite of both children and adults. The audiobook version of Charlotte’s Web is wonderfully narrated by Meryl Streep and features a full cast of voice actors that bring all the characters to life. Reviewers say that their kids love this story, and even as adults they still enjoy this story’s themes of friendship, loss, and hope.
Charlotte’s Web Key Features:
- Narrated by Meryl Streep and a full cast
- Run time of 4 hours and 2 minutes
- Unabridged version of the original story
Audiobooks are an excellent way to expose kids to books and literature without forcing them to read, but if you do have little readers on your hands, most of these audiobooks are also available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions. If you need recommendations on headphones for your kids to use to listen to these audiobooks, you can head over to our list of The Best Headphones For Kids.
